


The Mystery of Fern Islands

by murakaminavy



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Fate, Flashbacks, Gen, Mermaids, Ocean, References to Canon, Star-crossed, i love fish dad and he deserves a story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 14:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16914714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murakaminavy/pseuds/murakaminavy
Summary: Elliott has a terrible writer's block and it's frustrating him. He approaches Willy, his friendly neighbour, about this dilemma.Hopefully the expert angler can offer some inspiration in the form of a story! What kind of life did young Willy live? Who did he meet? What did he experience?There's a lot we don't know about the kind fisherman...





	The Mystery of Fern Islands

     "It's quite discouraging, don't you think? Residing somewhere so close to the sea and having little muse to write about it." Elliott sighed heavily and leaned back on the sand. The last stretch of sunset painted the sky with vibrant flaming hues. The ocean's waves rolled gently onto the beach.  
  
     Willy sat next to the dazed writer with a bottle of mead half-buried in the sand near him. He nodded gravely. "It does sound like quite a predicament ye got yerself in, lad."  
  
     "A predicament most inconceivable." Elliott dropped his gaze to the small hermit crab that traveled by his fingers. He smiled bitterly. "The drafts I have written the past weeks here... I feel they're all lacking. I apologize for being so negative, by the way."  
  
     The angler waved it off. "No need, Elliott. Everyone gets a block e'vry now n' then."  
  
     "Truly?" Elliott chuckled, lacing his hands behind his head. He lay down on the soft white sand, looking up at the darkening sky. "I somehow doubt you're the type of man to let that stop you."  
  
     "Nah." Willy paused. "Not anymore."  
  
     He stared at the sea for a moment, taking in the breeze. Elliott closed his eyes.  
  
     Only the sound of the ocean accompanied the silence.  
  
     Then Willy spoke again. "... If it helps ye, I could tell ye a story I learned from my livelier days. It helped me see things clearer.”  
  
     Elliott shot up, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Do tell!"  
  
     "Aye, I will. Now, have some mead, and I'll think o' when this all started..."

 

* * *

  
      _In summertime many years ago, a young man with dark hair set sight for Fern Islands._

_He was roguishly handsome with his finely trimmed beard and had eyes as blue as the ocean --_

 

* * *

 

     "Wait, wait." Elliott made a time-out gesture. "I have to make a comment about your description."  
  
     Willy frowned. "Yeah, what 'bout it? An old man can't reminisce about his good looks?"  
  
     "N-No... no. I meant I admire how confident you are in describing yourself." Elliott paused. "And you are still quite handsome."  
  
     " _Oi_ , lad..."  
  
     "I apologize! Continue! I shall drink more of this delicious mead."

 

* * *

   
      Anyway, _this man was very handsome and smart and he had quite the makings of an expert angler._  
  
    _He was prepared to sail to Fern Islands, where fish were plentiful and lively. There, one would find the most beautiful marine species to ever exist in the world._

_Willy was set on adventure. He felt it in his beating heart that he would discover something amazing . He promised himself that once he reached Fern Islands, he would stop at nothing to get his hands on a priceless treasure._

_So he set off, catching a boat that took him to warmer waters._

_The seas were open and encouraging. The weather was calm and forgiving. The journey there would take him a while, but it would be worth it._

_Fern Islands are the most beautiful islands one could ever lay their eyes on. They keep their natural beauty all year round and the only seasons are summer and monsoon. Even the rain was warmer and felt more cleansing than anywhere else the young angler had been._  

_It still looked the same today._

_While he was there, Willy met some peculiar people -- he made friends with a lot of them, as they lived and worked on the sea. He got valuable information about the elusive Crimsonfish and the best fishing spots during the season._

_One person in particular stood out to him. There was a sailor there, dressed in eloquent fabrics and always toting around an equally fabulous feathered hat._

_She spoke with a heavy accent and had a strange way with words. She was fascinating._

 

* * *

 

     “Fascinating in a romantic way?” Elliott piped up again. “Was she beautiful?”

     “Ah, well…” Willy scratched his chin. “She was a fine lass, that sailor. As pretty as the sea she was, and also as mysterious. There was somethin’ about her that kept me away.”

     “That's understandable. What an ominous allure.”

     “Aye... an' I don't think her husband would have approved, either.”

     “... Oh! I see. Continue.”

 

* * *

 

_Indeed, the brilliant woman was already married to a scientist. But this sailor’s heart once yearned to explore the ocean, too -- not for fish, but for stories. She hunted for adventure. She told him tales of the high seas, most learned from older sailors, while some were from her own experience._

_Willy’s time in the promising waters of Fern Islands turned dull, however. The more he fished for a good prize, the more often he turned up empty-handed. Discouraged and frustrated, the young angler was losing patience with himself and the great sea._

_One day he and the sailor decided to meet at the local tavern to exchange more stories. Willy wanted to hear something that would hopefully bring back his fighting spirit._

_The sailor fell silent after Willy expressed his need to fish all he can. The woman then gave him a peculiar warning…_

_She scowled at him. "Don't fish up every living creature we have. It's dangerous for the islands."_

      _“I never knew that was a problem ‘ere.” Sheepishly, Willy shrank in his seat._

_“It isn’t anymore,” the sailor said coolly, drumming her long black nails on the wood of their table. The candlelight made her dark, elegant features glow with soft golden colours. “But years ago, there was a mariner who loved to fish. He fished so much, made so much money off it, and adored his town; he gave them so much fish and no one ever slept hungry._

_“Yet the mariner was lonely. He saw how his money had made him unhappy, but he was grateful that his town was living well. One day, he sat by the ocean feeling empty. That was when he met her -- the most beautiful mermaid he had ever seen. She was crying, and he asked her why she was so sad._

_“The mermaid looked up at him, and she hated him. She said, ‘it is you who killed my friends. You have taken all the fish, polluted my home, and drove out my friends because they all feared you.’ She then threw at him a beautiful shell -- it was all she had left of a species that is now extinct because of him._

_“The mariner was heartbroken upon learning this truth. He couldn’t bring it upon himself to fish anymore after seeing the pain in the mermaid’s eyes. So he kept the shell and he made the decision not to fish again. Instead, he started up the roots for what is now the string of marine facilities on Fern Islands.”_

_Willy was astonished. He didn't expect such a strong story about overfishing. “And the mermaid, what happened to her?”_

_“This story--” The sailor narrowed her eyes and smiled coldly. “--does not have a happy ending. The mariner, after saving all the species he could, was now older and wiser. He took care of the precious shell the mermaid spitefully threw at him and made it into a necklace for her as an apology gift. He wanted to confess that he loved her, the poor man._

_“The mariner sailed in the direction of Stardew Valley and never came back.” The sailor finished, lacing her fingers together. “Some say a storm struck. Others think he was killed by vengeful merfolk.”_

_“And what would you say?” Willy asked._

_The sailor laughed. “Me? Well. I can't say for certain what happened to the man, but I do know one thing. The mariner didn’t wallow in despair because the one he loved didn’t love him back. He saw the error in his ways. He fixed it, and he went to apologize. So… I would say that true love is worth living for.”_

_However he met his untimely demise, that was the tale of the old mariner._

 

* * *

 

     “ _Wow._ ” Elliott hummed, fascinated.

     Willy nodded and looked up at the sky, folding his arms. The stars blinked into existence. “She was quite the poetic one, too. Helped me realize that I love fishin’... I live for it. Got over my frustration and had some of my proudest catches on those islands thanks to her. Maybe ye’d like to meet her someday.”

     “I can?” The writer perked up. “That would be delightful! But -- for now, that will have to wait. Dear Willy, you have given me some valuable inspiration for my next short writing piece. I _must_ get this down.”

     “All right, don’t hurt yerself.” Willy grinned, happy he could help out his neighbour. He watched the younger man hop onto his feet and flutter back to his cabin, spurred on with newfound muse.

     He turned back to the ocean as the sun sank below the waves.

 

* * *

 

     “Unfortunate lad,” Willy murmured, contemplating his rum after the mariner’s story. “You won’t be hearin’ talk o’ overfishin’ from me, no miss. I love the ocean too much to do that.”

     The pretty sailor smiled and rose to her feet. “Good. We’ll keep in touch, William.” She moved away from the table and brushed past him, then paused.

     Willy glanced up at her. “What’s wrong?”

     “... Nothing. I’m just thinking. One day, my legacy will reach the shores of Stardew Valley. And you will remember me then, and tell my stories.”

     Willy stared after the sailor, her coat billowing out dramatically behind her. His eyes lingered on the doors long after she had already swept out of them.

     What an ominous woman.

**Author's Note:**

> hello there ao3!
> 
> this piece was produced at one in the morning. it came from long weeks of a massive writing block that really bummed me out for a while. i relate to elliott a lot and how i wrote him in this drabble -- i hope i did his character justice. so, now here's something to celebrate the start of getting back into my habit of writing!
> 
> this little story (badly) hides my massive love for willy because he's the best person in stardew valley. fish dad is very good.
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it! i don't know if this will start a stardew valley series from me, but we'll see what happens! i definitely want to write about more characters i mentioned here... huhu. 
> 
> a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to my first readers snail and siva, and beta reader nyk for making sense of my sleep deprived thoughts! love y'all! bonus thanks to chaos and peril for helping me make last minute edits, you rock!
> 
> thanks for checking this out!
> 
> \- lou


End file.
